Curiosity Killed The Catfish R/rated

Hector bowed his head low as the King spoke to him. "Thank you Sire." He said warmly, "Jakar is more beautiful every time I see it. I fear the Spire lacks the grace and beauty that you seem to treasure here." When he came down to speak to them personally, Hector lifted his head again and smiled warmly to the young merman. "May I present Maiden Adien, daughter of Sharok, my most trusted guardian and friend." Adien was quick to come forward and bent her tail back with skill to bow to her king.
"It is wonderful to be here, Sire." She said with great respect, "Your city is a jewel in the oceans."
Hector then waved his hand to Syrenne, "And this is Maiden Syrenne, daughter of Greyold, a once well respected and fierce warlord. She has been my ward since his and her mother's death some years past." Syrenne said nothing, just bobbed her head in feigned respect. hector looked displeased at her. "Syrenne, show proper respect to your King." he turned his eyes back to the King (name?) with slight embrassment, "My apologies Sire, the maiden is young and can be skittish in such foreign surroundings."
Again, Syrenne made no attempt to please. Instead, she looked past the young King towards the back of the throne room and then all around. Finally, she did speak, but only to repeat what she had said from the beginning, "I want to go home." Hector and Adien both could only cringe with shame....

King Lukas smiled as Adian made the formal bow and greeted him. Indeed she was trying to be pleasing and get his attention. A social climber. There were many of those at court, and he basicly shunned them all except where edicat dictated. At Syrennes gesture and lack of words he raised a brow. When Hector admonished her for it and she said she wanted to go home he almost chuckled.

This one he would have to court and bring her about. At the way Hector and Adien both cringed at what she said, Lukas did chuckle. "Do not worry about it Hector. She is new to the way of court and is use to only her home." He turned to Syrenne and asked, "Do you not like the city? Soon this will be the home of all Merfolk. Perhaps you would like a tour of the city. I would be honored to give you a tour of it."

Merlin poured over the old tablets. They indeed were from a time that still spoke the ancient language, but was way after the actual race that spoke it vanished. But the tablets told the story of what happened. It seemed that Atlantis actually existed and it was inhabited by a war like people that were jealous of another island kingdom called Jakar. That Jakar was not as powerful as Atlantis but held its own for some time. But the people of Jakar suddenly vanished and at the time that the sea swallowed Atlantis, so did it swallow Jakar.

The tablets gave a basic location for Jakar but not Atlantis. Perhaps there, if the ruins of the city still existed might lay the answer to Merlin's questions. The Lady of the Sea was ready by then and ready to go out again. Merlin spoke with his father and with in a day they were on their way. A couple days later they were nearing the area that was suppose to be where Jakar had sank.

Hector gulped with relief that he wasn't in trouble over Syrenne's impudence. In fact, the King seemed to enjoy it! This was a surprise, but rather a bad one for him. Adien had been passed over it seemed and he knew Sharok would be furious. Still, this merman, as young as he was, was still the King and could not be defied. As Syrenne was then asked f she wished a tour of the city, Hector gulped again. "Sire, if I may?" He swam forward slightly, "Syrenne can be a little feral when she is unsure of something. Might I suggest you offer Maiden Adien the tour instead?" Adien quickly nodded and smiled, but said nothing.

Syrenne looked around again and completely ignored the King until Hector had voice his fears. "I don't like it at all." She said boldly, "The coral in the walls is mismatched. It didn't come from here. It was stolen from elsewhere. Nothing is real here, nothing is natural. It's a fancy and nothing more, it has no purpose except to boost your ego. This place will never be my home. My home is the Spire and the shoals." She didn't look at Lukas once during her tirade and when she was finished, she looked to Hector. "Can we go home now?"
"Syrenne!" Hector scolded, "Don't be so rude! Apologise this instant!"
"No." She said flatly, "You taught me never to lie. Why should I apologise for telling the truth? I want to go home!" She flicked her fins and turned about to leave. Her tail came up without care as she turned her back and the motion seemed to aim right for the King's side. Hector couldn't get there quick enough......

Lukas listened to her and his eyes went wide. She did not like the decor. His mother had the coral brought in to decorate the bland stone walls and ceilings of the citadel. He didn't think that his mother would appreciate her comments about the place. But again everyone had their own opinions and preferences.

Her attitude though was pleasingly refreshing after hearing so many lies in his court. So Hector had taught her never to lie. That was a great accomplishment. He stole a quick glance at Adien and thought that she would say anything if it pleased him. When she turned suddenly and flicked her fins he instinctively moved and barely missed being hit by her tail fins.

He saw the look on Hector's face and it made him grin. Hector would be easy to convince to bring his people to the city. He swam around to face Syrenne. "The Spire and shoals must be very beautiful for you to want to return to them." He reached over and lifted her head so she was looking at him. "Would you stay awhile and tell me of them? It would make me happy to hear you tell of your home."

At that time a guard came swimming up. Lukus did not look very pleased at this interuption but the message he had was even more unpleasent. "Sire, a surface dweller ship has arrived to the north and has stopped." he looked over at Syrenne. "It bears the likeness of this female on the bottom of its hull."

Things couldn't have got worse from Hector's point of view. Not only had Syrenne made a point of being rude and impertinent, she had insulted the King's home and his way of life. She was right of course, the coral was not natural and was taken from somewhere different, but to come out and say it was stolen, that was more than insulting. He went after her as the King did and stopped just behind them when the King stopped Syrenne from leaving. The young merman touched her and Hector feared the worst.

Syrenne stopped and glared at the King as he blocked her path and then physically touched her. Ideas of shredding his gills with her nails came to mind, as did ideas of biting his fingers off. Perhaps she would bite his fingers off first and then shred his gills, she thought. Her ice blue eyes showed this as he spoke to her and she balled her fists. She then spotted Hector just off to her left and he was trembling with fear, his eyes silently begging her not to what it was clear she was thinking to do. She was just about to demand he move out of her way when a guard came over. He informed Lukas that a ship had arrived bearing her image.

"Gods below!" Hector gasped and quickly went to the King. "Sire." He said quickly, "Please. I know this vessel and it means you no harm, nor do the ground dwellers aboard it."

"Merlin!" Syrenne cried out almost happily. She moved around Lukas quickly and flapped her tail quickly. In a mere second, she was out of reach and heading for the grand doorway to the outside.

Hector didn't know what to do now, "Syrenne!" He yelled, "Come back!" But he knew she wouldn't. His face paled as he returned his attention to the King. "Sire?"......

Lukus ignored Hector and what Syrenne was doing. A surface dweller ship was not far away. He ordered his personal guard assembled and to be armed to the teeth. "We will show these surface dwellers that they are not in control of the oceans! Have the soldiers be ready to defend the city. I will go out and meet this threat with my own personal guard!"

He swam off in a differnt direction leaving Hector and Adien and her father alone. Needless to say Adien's father was furious. His daughter had been basicly ignored, Syrenne had all but outright told the King to get lost, now the infernal surface dweller's ship was back and hovering not to far from the city. That could only mean that the hybrid surface dweller would be there.

Above on the ship. "Captain! Sonar is pinging off something large down there." came a mans cry.

"Send down the remote camera first." Merlin's father said, looking at Merlin. While the things unfolded in the throne room, the remote camera sped away from the ship and sent back the images of the city. A city that did not look to be in ruins but also was inhabited.

"This is not what we expected son." Merlin was told. "I don't like it. Raise anchor we moving away from here." he looked at Merlin. "No arguments. We will move away a distance and you can swim in to get a look see."

Syrenne shot through the main doors like a harpoon, but didn't ignore what was going on behind her. She heard the King order the guards to be ready and she heard him call Merlin a threat. This wasn't good. She had visions of him being imprisoned and interrogated, not unlike what Hector had planned to do at first, but the King would not be so opened minded as her adopted father. She knew that just from his tone.

While the guards readied for the King to come out and meet the vessel with force, Syrenne sped from the city and came in sight of the ship just as the anchor was coming up. The vessel was leaving! With the guards close on her tail, Syrenne began using her arms for more speed. The surface was coming down fast and she could see the swirls and surf. She wasn't sure what she could do to warn them. The second they saw her, they would drop anchor again and the King would have them. She couldn't allow that, but what could she do? Her choice was made as she heard a soldier behind her. "Sire!" He shouted, "The maiden!"

Syrenne gave her tail one last powerful pulse and she shot out from the surf. Like a whale in play, she leapt from the water and soared into the hair. Her gills immediately expelled all the water in her lungs and she gulped the air in. Higher and higher she reached until she actually cleared the railings of the vessel and she turned her tail. Shocked sailors gawked at her as she flew over their heads and landed with a loud thump onto the wooden deck of the ship. Immediately, the crew was in a panic and shouting for the captain and for Merlin's father, John. "You need to leave!" Syrenne shouted at them, but her words seemed just a jumble of sounds to them, "You need to leave! The King is coming with his guards! You must hurry!" They just gawked at her and shook their heads with wide eyes. "Don't just stand there!" She yelled, "Get this heap of wood moving!".......

Merlin and his father was almost on deck when Syrenne burst from the ocean and landed on the deck of the ship.  Merlin heard her yelling at the crew, who did not understand her.  But he did.  When he burst out of the doors leading below, he began giving orders.  "Captain get the ship moving.  Deploy the propellers and engage the engine.  We have unfriendly guests approaching fast."  

He ran over to Syrenne and knelt down by her, holding her in a sitting position as the crew scrambled to obey the orders.  The engine was started and the propellers slid out into place.  The water churned and the ship began moving.  The engine gave the ship the speed it needed and they were moving away at a fast clip.

"What are you doing?"  he asked Syrenne.  "You know you are not going to be able to go back there now.  Back to your people."  he moved wet hair from her face and caressed the side of her face.  "How long can you stay out of water?"  he asked. They were going to have to fix something up for her so she could survive while on board the ship.

The King and his royal guard swam hard, but they were not able to catch the ship in time.  Syrenne's warning had been just in time.  The King was furious.  The surface dwellers had escaped and had been warned by Syrenne, one of their own.  He swam back to the citadel and Hector.  "Your ward is a tratior!  She will be executed when we get our hands on her!  You will now return to your insignificant home and bring the entire population here.  Do it now or suffer the consequences!"  with that he swam off to his chambers.

Syrenne clung to Merlin as he lifted her to sit and caressed her cheek. The water still dripping from her face hid the tears falling and she dug her sharp nails in, frightened he would drop her. "The King." She gasped as she adjusted to breathing air. "The King. He wanted a fight. He wanted to attack your vessel. He would have sunk you all."

As the water began to dry around her, she began to feel the heat of the wooden deck under her and the burning sun above. "Hot!" She gasped, "So very hot!" She gasped and tried to breathe but the heat of the sun and the air around her and the sheer weight of her body started to affect her. She'd never been so far out of water before. It was then that one of the crew had a bright idea. He grabbed the crewman nearest to him and pointed to a large bucket.

The bucket was tied to a rope and tossed over and then both men pulled it up again. Two more, seeing their friends, began to do the same and before Syrenne knew what was happening, two very large and wonderful buckets of water were thrown over her. Obviously, Merlin was soaked too, but the relief on Syrenne's face was clear. It would take her some time to adjust.

"The Spire." She said to Merlin, "Go to the Spire. Hector will understand, I promise. Please." And still she clung to him.

Hector stared at the King with wide eyes. Syrenne had been named a traitor! He blinked dumbly and shuddered as though his heart had just been ripped out and shown to him. Without a word, he left the city and made back for the Spire.

In the King's private chambers, Illithia laid demurely across her son's bed. She sat up when she saw the state he was in and patted the bed for him to sit. "What I heard is true then." She said softly to him as she stroked his long hair with her fingers, "Hector's ward has thrown you. I warned you she might, my beloved son." She gave him a loving smile and kissed him quite boldly on the lips. She cupped his face and smiled into his eyes. "All will be well." She told him, "And she will be returned. Little Syrenne won't stray too far from her dear adopted father and when she realises what she's done, she will do what it takes to keep him and her home in one piece." Illithia got up and moved around to Lukas' back. She moved his hair to one side and kissed the back of his neck before rubbing it tenderly.

"I've been doing a little research, my dearest." She said as she softly kneaded out his tension to relax him, "Greyold was more than just a warrior during the wars. He was a hero to our people and instrumental in destroying the ground-dwellers hold on the oceans. He brought down more ships than you've had maidens, my beloved. We survived because of him and we owe everything to his memory, this city included. Were it not for Greyold, you wouldn't be King now and we wouldn't have the luxury that we do." She finished with his neck and turned him to face her. She pulled him across her lap and laid his head along the smooth scales around her naval. "Taking his daughter's head for treason would be unwise." She stroked his hair again and stared down at him with her head tilted to one side. "Destroy Hector and the Spire, by all means, but allow the Maiden to make the right choice first." She leaned down and kissed him once more....

The buckets of water would only help for a bit, not long term. "We must rig something up more substancial below, out of the sun." he said and picked her up and took her down below to the cargo hold. There was a large waterproof tarp there and he had some of the men tie its corners and the edges to the hull so it formed a deep pouch like structure. Then he had them fill it with water and he put Syrenne in it. The water covered her body up to her neck.

"This will have to do until we reach the Spire. But I don't think you will be safe there either. If I know anything about those in power, it is that they will destroy anything and anyone that stands in their way. You came to warn us, those there are your people and he might punish them for you warning us." he looked up to his father.

"There has to be a safe place for them. At least for a while, until this king of theirs thinks they will not return to the Spire."

"Well that all depends on if they are willing to leave and go somewhere else or if they will follow the dictates of their king. Hector as you told me is the leader of those at the Spire. Will he follow the king, or will he lead his people to safety and begin a civil war among the merfolk." he looked at Syrenne and Merlin translated what his father said, and what he wanted to do."

Lukus settled down some at his mothers caresses and the way she talked. He had not known the background of Syrenne before. The daughter of a hero like Greyold would indeed spark respect and perhaps sentiment. "Ahhhhh but was not Greyold also of the bloodline of the old Kings? He would have been considered a trueblood of the royal line."

A pairing of him and her would indeed cement his position as king. All of the merfolk would then truely acknowledge him as their king and ruler and obey him. As it was his hold on the throne was a tedious one. He had the backing of an army that could enforce his rule, but that would cause desention among the outer communities and cause problems.

"Ahhhhh but mother she is with the Surface Dwellers. She would not dare return to her home now. She knows that once her actions has been revealed she would not be welcome there. How will we bring her back?"

Syrenne sighed with relief when Merlin placed her into the water and she snuggled down a little to make sure she was thoroughly wet again as John spoke and Merlin translated. She nodded in understanding for a moment before lifting back up enough to peer over the edge and look at John while she spoke. It would be rude not to. "Hector has cared for me since I was an infant." She said back, "He thinks of me as his own and he wouldn't do that to me and he wouldn't let anyone else do that to me either. He swore to my father on his death rock that he would protect me and he promised the same to my mother. He won't cause a war between the Spire and Jakar, it would be fruitless. Hector chose the Spire because it is impregnable without intimate knowledge of the currents."

Illithia tenderly stroked her son's hair and then traced her fingers down his strong jawline. "Indeed, you are growing in wisdom." She told him lovingly, "But she will return home. My handmaiden gave me an account of what she saw and if correct, Hector thinks of her not just as his ward, but his own spawn. Perhaps a more indirect approach would work better?" She tilted her head the other way and traced her fingers down the side of his neck and around his broad shoulder. "Go and meet with Hector again at the Spire under a flag of truce. Tell him you will forgive Syrenne's indiscretion and allow him and his flock to remain there under his own rule if he gives you pairing rights to her. Tell him that you will honour her and keep her. And then, once she is here and in our possession, put a son in her and destroy the Spire. By the time she learns the truth, it will be too late." She smiled down at him lovingly.......

Merlin was still not sure about it but had the ship set course for the Spire. It would take a couple of days of sailing to get there. The engine had been shut down and the propellers retracted once they were well out of the range of the underwater city.

"Hector might be that way, but once your people find out what will they do? How loyal are they to this king." He was worried that they might just turn her over to save themselves, no matter what Hector said or did.

His mother's advice as always was sound and had a delicious twist to it. Get what he wanted and then destroy the ones that might cause trouble in the future. But of course he would take the people there and make them slaves if necessary. There were not that many of their kind left after all the things the Surface Dwellers had done to them and their own in fighting to rule. But pulling in all the outlying communities would bolster his fighting force to deal with the Surface Dwellers.

"Ah but mother, what about her. You heard how she acted and only wanted to go home to her precious Spire. Even if Hector gives me the rights to pair with her, I have a feeling she will not be the type to want it or do what Hector tells her. What are your suggestions on that?"

Syrenne looked over at Merlin and then hisfather before she sank badk to her neck and let t he water slosh over her fins. "He would rather die than hand me over." She said quietly, "He owes my father too much." She then ducked down until she was completely emerged and flooded her lungs with water.


Iliithia continued to caress her son as she worked out his tension and filled him with sordid ideas. "Like her guardian, she will protect her home." She cooed at him lovingly, "Charm her, make it clear you will protect her home and let her visit regularly. Play on her fears and dreams, make her believe she is doing the right thing. Make her love you. Once the Spire is destroyed and Hector is dead, it makes no difference, my love."

It was two long days before they were able to reach the Spire.  The ship was moving at a fair clip with the wind.  But still the days had seemed long.  Syrenne was protected from the sun and the water was replinished a number of times during the day.  During the two days, Merlin sat there and talked to her.  

He described the small cities that they now lived in and about the huge metropolices that they once lived in.  He told her of the wars and the death and destruction that had ensued.  How some finally said enough and began to dismantle the great fleets of metal ships and the craft that flew through the skies.  How they went back to a more simpler time, without long range weapons of destruction.

But they  had not given up on certain things.  Science, engineering, and just about anything that would make life better they kept.  Though expensive, the space program still went on, everyone had computers and communicators.  

"I have told you of my world.  What about yours.  Is there anyone that knows your history.  I am trying to learn all I can about your people, especially where they came from."  He showed her a couple of the stone tablets he had brought with him, showing merfolk entering the water with legs and feet and turning into tails and then the reverse of that.  "From what this shows, your people can emerge from the ocean and readapt to land."

Lukus gathered his personal guard and began his journey to the Spire. He was trying to figure out how he was going to woo the strong willed and some what estranged Syrenne. But if all else failed he still had the trump card. He would threaten to destroy the Spire, hold it hostage until he could mate with her and then destroy it.

Syrenne enjoyed the days aboard the ship. It was strange at first and she wasn't sure of the movement. At one point, she even felt nauseated a little, but she got over it. More importantly, she got to spend a lot of time with Merlin. He told her tales of his lands and how they were and what they were now. She listened intently to everything he said, learning and remembering. She loved to learn new things and what he told her about the land was the stuff of dreams for her. All too soon though, he started asking about her world and she settled back in the pouch to recall what she remembered from her schooling.

Taking the tablets from him, she immersed them in the water to show up the markings that dry air just couldn't and then handed them back so he could see the missing bits he seemed to year for. "Thousands of years ago, were lived on both land and in the water." She began, "The land wasn't so immense then and folk skipped between the islands. Millenia ago, our people were at war with another island called Atlantis. The land and the ocean were shifting and our homes were sinking. We could already survive in the ocean, but they couldn't and they wanted what we had. They tried to take it, but they lost. Both islands sank. From what I remember from the teachings, they followed the land and became ground dwellers. My people stayed and evolved into merfolk. Before we lived at the Spire, we used to live in the shoals near the land. It was a rich place, filled with life and abundant food. We thrived there until the ground dwellers began dumping their waste. In the wars that followed, our guardians decided it best that we leave. The shoals were dead and the poisons were slowly killing what the wars hadn't. The Spire was our saving grace. I know that many went back to Jakar, but we stayed. The Spire's currents and sharp rocks kept us safe and strong. The water is cleaned by the spouts around it and it's along the migration paths of many creatures, so food is plentiful. We live in peace there without outside interference and we love it. I love it and I never want to leave."

Hector made it back to the Spire and immediately started preparing for the war the King was now demanding on them. He addressed his people and explained what had happened. He gave them their choices as he'd always done and surprisingly, many of them chose to stay and fight. Their love for the Spire matched his own. Only a few wanted to go to Jakar and he made no judgement on them for it. After that, it was just a matter of time before the royal armies arrived and he would present his choice to them. He hoped that in the meantime, Merlin was treating Syrenne well. He wanted her home badly and from the reaction of his people, he knew she wouldn't be turned away by them. He certainly wouldn't. He loved her dearly.

Just over two days later, while Hector was sat in his small, but comfortable home, contemplating what little future they had left, one of his guards came to the opening. "Hector." The merman looked up sadly.
"What is it?" He asked quietly.
"The ground dweller's vessel." The guard said.
"What about it?"
"It's coming up fast." The guard said, "From the south. It must have escaped Jakar with Syrenne."
Hector breathed a sigh of relief. "Praise the Gods!" He said and shot out of the hole. He'd never been so relieved. Merlin was bringing his beloved ward home!

With a small contingent, Hector made his way up to the surface and broke the water as the ship dropped anchor. He'd never been so happy to see a vessel in all his long years. Aboard the ship, the crew started pointing and shouting about the appearing mermen and calling for Merlin....

So it was possible for them to walk on land. They could live in the oceans and upon land as well. This was something that he wanted to explore more. He wondered if Syrenne would be willing to try and let him show her his world. He would love to do so. Also if it came down to it, Hector and his people would be able to leave the ocean, even if it was but for a short time and keep them safely out of the Kings reach. It was something he would have to discuss with Hector.

During the two days travel, Merlin had a special seat made for Syrenne. With ropes and pullies attached to it would be easy to lower her down to the ocean. When they arrived and dropped anchor, it was not long before the merfolk appeared. The crew shouted out their arrival and Merlin came up on deck with Syrenne in his arms.

He placed her in the chair and a couple of the men lowered her away to the ocean. Once down Merlin himself dove overboard to join the merfolk that had gathered. He spotted Hector and swam over to him. "What are you going to do?" he asked Hector.

Syrenne sat in the pulley chair for perhaps two seconds before she wriggled free and let herself fall into the water with a huge splash. Seconds later, she broke the surface again and swung her arms around Hector, who eargerly hugged her back just as tightly. "By the Gods, I thought I'd lost you!" He said to her.
"I'm sorry Pappy." She said back, still keeping a tight hold of him, "I never meant for this to happen, I swear. I only wanted to warn Merlin about the King and it all went so wrong. Please forgive me Pappy?"
Hector kissed her forehead and hugged her again. It was then that Merlin came to him and he let the maid go to speak to him. What was he going to do?

"Well boy." He said, "There isn't much we can do. The King's armies will be here soon and most of us have chosen to stay and fight for what is ours." He then moved forward and quite strongly, took hold of merlin and hugged him. "Thank you." He said quietly, "For bringing back my maid. Anything you want, you can have. My home is your home, Merlin."

Merlin was taken aback by the hug and what Hector told him. It seemed he had been accepted by him as one of them. This made him smile and want to help in any way he could. But what Hector had planned was not good at all. If there was one thing that Merlin had learned from his father and other's, War was never good and accomplished nothing but the death of many good people.

"War is not the way Hector." he told the Merman. "All it will do is lead to the deaths of a good many of your people, which are good people and the capture and possible enslavement of any that live. There has to be another way." There had to be another way to keep his people free and safe. "If you are worried about the Spire, I don't think your King has the ability to destroy something so strong and enduring. It would take more then just his small army. Perhaps leaving and returning when they have left. He may think that you have gone elsewhere to find a new home."

He did not want to see Hector or his people killed and enslaved. Most were not even trained to handle weapons and those that were, were few in numbers. If it was possible for them to emerge from the ocean and walk on land, he figured the King would not dare tread there where Land Dwellers were numerous.

"But if you are determined to fight, then I will fight at your side."

Hector nodded and then began to lead Merlin back to the Spire, "I hope it will not come to that as well." He said honestly, "But we are a hardy bunch and the King will have a battle just keeping his own men alive should he decide the wrong path." After checking that Syrenne was following, Hector led Merlin into the grand hall. Once there, he sat down at the living buffet and stared at Merlin from across the table.

"I won't leave the Spire, Merlin." He said warmly, but firmly, "And there are many here that agree with me. This is our home. And if we left, it would only bolster the King's arrogance and idea of fear." He shook his head, "There are some things that you don't yet know about my people, Merlin, about our history. Our so called King is just that, so called. After the wars and the pollution, so many had died that it left us without true leadership. Like the Atlantians, we had a royal family, a bloodline that connected our people and protected us. Lukas is not of that bloodline. His father took the throne in a coop when the true King died. There are still descendants of the original bloodline, but they have been kept hidden for their own protection. Lukas' father was ruthless and cruel and wanted them all gone." Hector took a deep breath and sat back in the chair as he watched the fish dance and dart around the anemone on the table.

"What I tell you next, you must swear on your life never to repeat." He said solemnly. His eyes bore into Merlin's. "There are some that know the truth, here especially, but that isn't to say that Lukas will learn of it. After the first coop, the original king's brother fled Jakar. He was barely spawn when it happened, but he showed such promise in battle and he fought in the wars against the ground dwellers. He was my best friend." Hector wondered if Merlin had yet to catch on to what he was saying, but carried on telling the tale.

"He never intended to pair as he feared his spawn would be hunted out like so many of his family had been, but then he met a young maid and everything changed. He was nearly twice her age and her father deposed the match from the very beginning. They eloped to the shoals. As his best friend, I went with him and bore witness to the pairing. He loved that maid so dearly and he forgot about Jakar and the coop. Alissa changed him, soothed his soul and all he cared about then was her and his home. Then the poisons and the hunting came." Once again, Hector looked up to gauge the reaction of Merlin before casting his eyes back to the fish on the table.

"He watched so many of us die and it enraged him. He took up arms to fight again, but then Alissa came to him one day and told him something that changed him all over again. It made him even more determined to save his home and his people. Alissa spawned later that year and gave him a daughter. I was there when she was born and he gave me the honour as his best friend, of naming the maid. She was so beautiful, just like her mother and I knew instantly what her name should be. She was born in this very hall and her birth was celebrated far beyond myself and her father. The whole Spire came to welcome her. But sadly, the poisons had already taken their toll on Alissa and the struggle of spawning left her so very weak. She died when the maid was but a month old. And then he followed her just a few months later. The day he died, he made me promise to always protect his spawn and love her as he could not. His last breath was to kiss her goodbye as she slept in my arms."

Hector then took a moment to allow Merlin to process what he'd been told and for Hector to let the grief pass before he spoke again. Eventually, he did speak again. "Syrenne's father was Greyold. He was the brother of the true king and carried the original bloodline of the first royals of our people. I owed my life to him and he was the closest thing I ever had to a brother. He was my best friend. Jakar is not supposed to have a King, Merlin and it's people are not supposed to be ruled by Lukas. The throne rightly belongs to Syrenne and it's only a matter of time before he figures that out, if he hasn't already." Hector got up from his chair and began to swim back and forth across the grand hall.

"I knew from the day I received Lukas' summons to Jakar that the Spire's secret would be discovered and I walked right into his hands at court. You see, Merlin, when we merfolk introduce ourselves, we give the name of our fathers as our last name. I gave Lukas Greyold's name without thinking, but I knew the instant Lukas saw Syrenne that he would want her. Her temperament alone was enough to seduce him and her insult to him will only serve to quicken her death. These last two days, I have realised that I can no longer protect her and keep her away from Jakar and Lukas." He looked to Merlin and came back to him. "But perhaps I won't have to anymore. The affection you have shown towards her might just be the answer, my boy."

When Hector began telling his tail, he knew exactly where he was going with it. Greyold had been royalty and his daughter Syrenne was the next in line for the throne. She was the actual leader of the merpeople. The so called King was a fraud, a usurper, and one that might not be well liked by the people. He had read alot about the dictators of the past and this King fell right in line with most of them.

If the people did not like him that well, they would be more then willing to revolt if they had the help and a good reason to. Syrenne was just that reason. If they people found out about her, would they not want her instead of the King?

Merlin listened to everything that Hector said and then said. "If it is your wish for me to tell no one, I will not. But don't you think that the other merfolk need to know who she is. The rightful ruler of your people could topple the King from his throne. Even the soldiers that would fight for this King might even desert him once they found out. I have studied the history of our world and found that there is but a small core of those loyal to a dictator. If the people knew who she was, they would demand the King step down and have her take the reigns of power."

Merlin also realized why the King was so adament on getting Syrenne to like him. He was wanting to take her as his wife and then have a legitement claim to the throne. But what threw him was what Merlin heard from him about him and Syrenne. He looked at Hector with a bewildered look.

Hector half nodded, but then shook his head, "Syrenne has no experience or want for that life." He said cautiously, "And most here already know who she is. Jakar doesn't rule here and never has. Once Syrenne has come of age and understanding, it is my full intention to hand the Spire over to her to rule as she sees fit. That was my promise and I intend to keep it." When Merlin gave him a confused look over his last statement, he laughed quietly and came to sit down again.

"You don't quite understand our ways, do you, Merlin." He said. "I've seen the way you look at her. The way she's reflected in your eyes." He offered a slight shrug and laughed again. "When a merman wants a maid to notice his affections, he creates an image of her to show others of his intentions. You may or may not have noticed these images dotted around the Spire's rocks. You had the entire keel of your vessel painted in her image, Merlin. To us, that is more than enough to show you intend to gain her attention. Well, I must say, you got it. She didn't attack you or flee from you. If you intend to take the next step, I will quite happily let you. There hasn't been another that has got this far and bringing her home to me is more than I need to know that you will give your life for her. That is a true sign to me that you love her.".....

Merlin had not realized what he had done when he had painted Syrenne's image on the bottom of the ship. He had seen the small images around the Spire but had thought they were just decorations. He had the entire hull painted with her image. That would indeed be a big statement in their customs.

He indeed found her quite lovely and interesting, even though they were from two differant worlds. He caught on to what Hector was implying, and he was more then willing to give his consent and blessings. But they had just met and even though they had talked a lot on the ship he still had no knowledge of how she felt about him. He didn't even know if she was intrested in anyone else.

Merlin chuckled, "Well that is up to her you know. She is the one that must make the decision. I don't even know what her true feelings are for me. She keeps some of her feelings very well guarded. Her feelings for the King and Jakar she has made very plain to me, but she had never spoken anything about us. But I guess I won't know unless I ask her." he was rambling a bit, his mind spinning with so many things.

Hector laughed quietly and nodded. "There is much for you to learn." He said honestly and then came around the table to sit with him. He towered over the hybrid, so decided to slouch a little. He still towered over the boy, but it was the best he could do. "Syrenne does guard her feelings very well, but if you can learn to read her like I do, then you'll see what I do." He patted Merlin gently on his back so as not to send the man floating off somewhere.

"I will help you all I can with her. You've already made huge steps and it shows in how she reacts to you." He explained. "Her rushing up top to help you, that's a big sign that she cares for your life. And if she's let you touch her, that's another sign. A maid won't let a merman touch her unless she trusts him. She has accepted that you offered an image of her, so in a way, you're half way there, my boy." He then smiled, realising something. He got up and made for the doorway. "Come with me. We have a pair currently going through the process. I'm sure they won't mind you taking a few notes. Come."

Once out of the grand hall, Hector led Merlin further down the Spire towards a collection of moss covered rocks. A merman and a maid were already there, going through the rituals and Hector bowed his head to them. He put his hand out to Merlin and they both smiled warmly to him. "I hope you two don't mind us sitting in a while." Hector said to them, "Merlin is a little unsure as to how we do certain things and would like to learn."
"Sure." Said the merman proudly and then came up to Merlin. "I am Kaimar and this beauty is Nyssa." Nyssa nodded her head and smiled at Merlin. "So you are the one that has captured our lovely princess. We saw your offering. There are many jealous maids because of it." Kaimar laughed openly and then went back to Nyssa. Hector pulled Merlin back a little to watch.

Sat atop one of the moss rocks, Kaimar had brought Nyssa a selection of fine crystals from the Spire and as she went to them, he began to dance around her to show her his strength. "The merman brings gifts and dances to impress his potential mate." Hector explained. "Those crystals have come from deep inside the Spire and are hard to obtain. You may have seen something similar happening with our younger ones on the first day you came here. If she accepts the gifts, she will begin dancing with him." As Hector explained it, Nyssa began to dance around Kaimar as he danced around her. As the dance progressed, the pair came closer and closer to each other. "As they get closer, Nyssa will show her strengths and agility. This part is key to let the merman know she can spawn healthy offspring. You may have seen Adien doing something similar in practice with Syrenne that day." Nyssa began to turn over and spin in tight circles, showing her skill and health. Eventually, the pair came together and Kaimar coiled his long tail around Nyssa's middle. "Kaimar is claiming Nyssa for his own and at this point, we should leave." He turned slightly and took hold of Merlin's shoulder to pull him back and allow the new pair some privacy.

Kaimar looked through Nyssa's hair at Merlin and Hector as his thick arms came around her slender middle and up to her shoulders. He pulled her arms back at the shoulders to hold her in place while his tail fin began to tease at some soft scales below her navel. With the stimulation, the scales began to part to reveal soft pink flesh beneath and Kaimar then moved around her as the pair then sank between the rocks to mate out of sight of anyone.

As Hector started his way back up the Spire, he turned to merlin to gauge his reaction. "Has that answered some of your questions?" He asked.....

Merlin watched and listened and was amazed at the simplicity of the ritual. It was far less elaborate then his peoples ways. There was the courtship, the engagement and then the wedding and that was a very elaborate affair. Then of course the honeymoon with was another expensive affair. Here it was done right away.

He had to grin as he thought of the simplicity of it all. But he had to ask, "Well is there any courtship involved? Where the male sees the female here and there where they talk and do things together? To see if they are even compatable, that they could spend the rest of their lives with each other?"

Then there was a nagging question that had to be answered as well. "What of your people Hector. I am a stranger, a surface dweller here. Even though I have been changed to live in the ocean I am still from the surface world. Will they even accept me as one of you and should she agree, accept the two of us being together. I don't want to cause you more trouble with your people. I probably have caused quite a bit as it is."

It would be hard for his family to except to some degree. His father probably would not mind and find it interesting. His mother was another thing. She was old fashioned in some ways. But he had decided he would ask her and see what Syrenne's reaction would be. What things could he give her. He did not have the strange crystals that the one male had given his mate. There was the emerald necklace that they had found in an old ship wreck while making their soundings. It was still aboard the ship.

"Well be fore I can ask her I need to retrieve something from the ship. I have only one thing I can give her that might be like the crystals that your males give to their intended mates."

The King had started his journey to the Spire with twenty strong male warriors, and a few servants with gifts for Syrenne. He had no idea of Merlin, but he knew of the ship and the painted image. He figured it was some surface dweller that had seen her and fell in love with her. A surface dweller could not live under water and he knew that he had nothing to worry about. It would be a couple of days before he met up with those heading for Jakar before he would find out about Merlin.

Hector half turned and smiled at Merlin as they swam back towards the imposing structure. He still had many questions and once again, the ageing merman was happy to answer them. "To start from the beginning." He said with that same smile, "Yes, there is courtship. Once they have noticed each other, they will spend some time together to see if there can be an emotional connection as well as physical. Kaimar and Nyssa that you saw back on the moss rocks. He noticed her many months ago and they have spent almost all their time together of late. You probably saw them among the younger ones when they were playing, though I don't think you actually met them then. They would have wandered off somewhere after the first introductions were made." He began to laugh happily. "He offered her an image made of shells the day before your ship arrived here. His intentions were made clear then. The courtship itself depends on the pair partaking of it. Some are long and can last a number of years, others perhaps a few days. My own was barely a day before she accepted my image of her and we paired the day after." His eyes turned sad for a moment then. "But she died spawning and the spawn died with her." He seemed to sigh a little before carrying on.

"As to your next question, I'm not sure." He continued. "Many of the younger generations have already accepted you as part of the group. You've been named her suitor by many of them. There will of course be some that would not agree, but there always are, even among our own kind. But as Syrenne's ward, I'm willing to accept the differences between you. Besides, it would be interesting to see what happens should she agree to the pairing. On to your next question."

They reached the grand hall again and Hector sat back to the table. "A suitor doesn't just offer up Spire crystals as a dowry. He offers up what he feels she would appreciate. Spire crystals are difficult to come by and in some colours, are quite rare. Kaimar went to a lot of trouble to retrieve them from deep within the rocks because he knew how much she loved them. An offering can be anything that you feel Syrenne would appreciate and enjoy. Nyssa will no doubt wear the crystals to show them off. For example." He snatched a fish from the anemone. "You've seen some of our homes adorned with shells and beautiful rocks taken from the shoals. They will have been offerings of dowries that the maid has accepted and now shows off to others. Some mermen will even weave seaweed or bring anemones if they are not capable of mining the crystals or hunting in the shoals. Anything goes really." He let the fish go again, deciding he wasn't actually that hungry.